Unplanned Visit...

I dropped Jen off at Suz's house this morning for their jaunt to Orlando and Mickey World. After that I went home and watched the first game of the day from the World Cup. It was a good game.

I left for Columbia to pick Jessie up from Palmetto Girls State. She had a great week and was elected as President of The Senate for the week - she was selected by her peers to do the job. Once we got in the car she was just a bundle of information and couldn't talk fast enough to tell me all that she had learned and experienced. She is so glad that she went. The first few days she was wondering what she had gotten herself into, but after it got ramped up she was really into it.

The biggest surprise and honor was that she was selected to attend Girls Nation. Two girls from the state of South Carolina were selected and Jessie was one of them. 96 girls out of 25,000 are selected each year to attend. They will go to Washington DC for a week in July and get to experience the insiders view of politics. She is humbled and totally excited about the privilege.

Now for the unplanned visit. She had some weird swelling and pain in her feet - kind of like an insect bite but it was both feet at the same time. We called the doctor and he wanted to prescribe some antibiotics but I insisted that she be seen due to the symptoms. He said to go ahead to the ER. We did and have been here since 2:30 p.m.. It is now 6:30 p.m. and the are running all sorts of blood tests and she is getting some hardcore antibiotics to cover a broad range of possibilities. Her feet hurt so badly that to stand was crying painful. They gave her some pain meds and she is snoozing away.

It looks like we're here for the long haul and maybe even an admission to the hospital. The doctors will have a better idea once the blood work comes back. So here I sit....

More later...

UPDATE: We just got home, it's 8:20 p.m. They really don't know what was the deal but we go back in the afternoon to get the follow up. Hopefully Jessie will get some rest tonight.

WH

I Am Enjoying Myself

Having survived Tropical Storm Alberto we once again enjoying the Florida weather.

I am TOTALLY enjoying the World Cup. Despite a dismal showing by the US team, the games have been incredible.

My favorite so far has been Saudi Arabia v. Tunisia. The game has been filled with emotion and passion. The final 35 minutes were amazing!

WH

Vacationing in The Rain - Jen's Bain

So, here we are in Amelia Island, Fl on our vacation - I have a paid week from UPS and Jen has been looking forward to getting some sun in preparation for her trip to Orlando/Mickeyworld the following week.

We have had some bad luck on our past few trips down here with regard to the weather. Well GUESS WHAT?!

Can you say ALBERTO?! Or as Jen may so succinctly put it, "You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

We are in the direct path of the 1st tropical storm of the season. The clouds started to gather yesterday when we arrived and there is NO sun forecast for the next few days. NONE! The storm will be through on Wednesday and we leave...let me see...Thursday.

Now Jen and her mother are "sun-goddesses", they love to lay in the sun and talk. Not going to happen on this trip. Looks like a shopping spree is in order. I like it when the sun comes out. It's definitely cheaper.

Actually, the storm has SLOWED DOWN and will now dump 3-5 inches of rain on us here in Amelia. How cool. Ugh.

I didn't come to lay in the sun. At this point in my life I am starting to sprout bumps and such from all of my early years on the Jersey Shore and by the pool - I should be scheduling another dermatologist appointment soon to harvest the next crop of skin anomalies. So I try and stay out of the hot Florida sun and be nice to my skin.

Do I care about ALBERTO? Not one bit. I am watching the World Cup. I love that it is in Europe and I get to watch it at normal hours. The US plays today and I will be stuck to the TV for the duration - all three games. Jen is a soccer widow for the next few weeks.

Family Update:
We dropped off Jessie at Palmetto Girls State yesterday, so she is going to be having all sorts of fun. My chance to brag on her a bit - she is the only one from her high school who was selected to attend the program, and she received a scholarship from the local American Legion. It will be interesting ti hear how things are going when she gets home.

In fact, she and I will be spending Father's Day together this year as Jen will be in Orlando.

Jason is off at 29 Palms for training and will be back in July. He then gets a few weeks leave and prepares for his next deployment in the Mideast. He and his new bride Candace will be here for a few weeks during that leave. His deployment will be 8 months - ugh.

That's the update for now...

WH

Staying In Tonight

After a great weekend with Jason and Candace visiting we are all relaxing and getting ready for a busy month.

Jessie is enjoying NOT having school - she is hanging out with friends at the pool, working a few days a week, and sleeping in. She deserves it after finishing her junior year. Ah, the summer between junior and senior years...that is supposed to be one of the best times of your high school life. I hope that she has the best one ever.

Jen and I are planning on traveling a little and then she goes on a trip to Florida with a friend and her kids - Disneyworld! I will be holding down the fort here in Aiken while she's gone.

I'm stoked about the World Cup. I'm even more excited than four years ago because I have TIVO and will not miss a game. The games are during the day here since Germany is six hours ahead. I won't miss a game!

We made Pizza tonight and are watching Pretty In Pink. A flashback moment.

WH

I Think That I Am Going To Be Sick

What the hell were they thinking?

In response to a survey that KFC conducted concerning the poor lunchtime eating habits of American workers, they have created the NEW Famous Bowl(TM). Below is a picture of this new "hearty meal, just like Mom used to make." (That is a quote from the press release for the Famous Bowl.)

It is layers of mashed potatoes, sweet corn and bite sized crispy chicken, drizzled with signature home style gravy and topped off with a three- cheese blend -- in one convenient bowl. Mummmm.

Here is a picture of this yummy meal, like someone's MOM used to make.



Really. It looks like what you would scrape INTO the garbage disposal AFTER the meal is OVER, not what one would pay for and eat at lunch - in the car.

Now, I can get the dry heaves from the smell of fast food in the car - that is after I have gotten out of the car and get back in. So I'm not a fan of the smells. My own fast food smells.

Can you imagine what this baby will smell like? Think poo.

Ok. What are the odds that this is THE answer to KFC's market share? Are you buying stock on this offering?

Ok. Let me get to the point. It looks like someone shit in the little black bowl. There. I said it. I feel better.

WH

Second Big Update

Yesterday I updated you on some of the big happenings of our weekend at the beach.

Today I want to update you on the BIGGEST news of the weekend.

My son, Jason, and his fiance decided to get married. They had just obtained a marriage license and were at dinner and said, "So when do you want to get married?" They decided to get married THAT NIGHT!

So they called some friends, Candace borrowed a dress from a friend, and they went to the magistrate and got married!

Here is a picture from a previous post:


Jason and Candace

My best wishes go out to the newlyweds as they prepare to spend their life together.

Hopefully we'll get to see them this weekend as Jason gets a 96 hour leave for the holiday weekend. That would be great.

Pete

Update From The Past Few Weeks

Quick overview of the past few weeks...in chronological order.

I started back at UPS on May 12th after 6 weeks off for recovering from my hernia surgery. The good news is that I get to start training and using the system that I was hired to learn - The Center of The Future.

The REALLY GOOD NEWS is that I don't have to be in until 6 AM, which means that I get up at 5 AM, instead of 3:15 AM. That is a huge bonus.

We just returned from a weekend trip to Hunting Island, SC. Below is a photo that my daughter took this morning. What an amazing sunrise. The island is a state park which is preserved in it's natural condition - just like hundreds of years ago. Very interesting and beautiful. One of the guys that I backpack the PCT with rented a cabin for the week and invited us down. Thanks Jim.


Hunting Island Sunrise

One of the big deals of the island is that it is a nesting site for loggerhead turtles. These gentle giants come ashore, lay eggs, and lumber back to the ocean in the early morning hours. Few people have actually seen many of these, in fact one of the guys on the island has worked "turtle patrol" for 6 years and never seen a turtle. That is until today.

Jessie went down to the water to see the sunrise as Jim and I were getting ready for a walk. As we approached the beach Jessie came running over a dune waving her arms like a crazy woman and mouthing something. As we came closer I realized that she was saying "turtle!" We came over the rise and saw a 350 lb. loggerhead turtle just making her way back to the water. She had come up the beach, laid eggs (137 of them), and as she turned to go back, was caught on the top of her shell by some dune fence. Jessie freed her and we all stood around as she made her way 300 yards back to the ocean. Below are two pictures of the event.



Looking Around


Back To The Ocean

It was a pretty cool way to start the week.

Pete

Has It Been That Long?

I just realized that I haven't posted since WAY BACK on April 26th. Sorry:(

I'm up to my butt in Dell Computers. I got a project installing and upgrading the computer systems in the office where Jen used to work, Dogwood Stable. They have been using a patchwork of various computers to run their office and things have degraded to the point that they were having daily problems and the support that they were getting was a guy that was already stretched - sometimes it took DAYS to call back and longer to service.

Now I have 6 Dell Dimension 5150's in the extra room and I am upgrading them all to XP Pro and installing the various software that each person uses.

The plan is to get the computers as upgraded as possible prior to the deployment so that day can be spent hooking up the and configuring the network.

The server is off at the Network folks place getting the install done and upgraded.

I'll be busy for the next few weeks but it beats sitting on my butt:)

The biggest problem is that it smells like new, hot, computers in the room.

I do get to take some time as I wait for the UMTEEN install patches to do their thing - about two hours per machine.

Thank God for TIVO.

WH

Off To The Doctor's Again

I am sitting in the Urologist's office recording this post with my favorite web blog editor ecto.

I went back to the surgeon this morning due to an unusual occurrence with my "schlong." Without going into any detail at all, to keep what's private, private, the surgeon took a look and decided that I should be referred to another specialist. He managed to get me an appointment today - the same day - which is great, but as you may know has it's own particular drawbacks. The biggest is that they have to "fit you in, " which being interpreted means, WAIT...

After a time the pee-pee doctor comes in and lets me know that what I have is a thrombosis of a vein. That means that the blood has clotted and will just have to be reabsorbed into my system - it may be months. Great.

I love surgery and the resultant complications.

WH

Prom Night

It's prom night in Aiken. Both high schools, Aiken High School and South Aiken High School, have prom on the same night. It's actually a good idea for a community BUT a bad idea if prom dates go to different high schools, which is the case with our daughter and her boyfriend. If you are new to the blog I have to explain that they have the same name - Jessie and Jesse. The "ie" Jessie is my daughter.

The weather here in Aiken has been scattered thunderstorms all day long. The weather broke long enough to take these pictures. I have to say that they are a sharp couple, and the black prom dress really "pops" alongside the cream colored tux.




Ready for Prom




Corsage

It's been a crazy day. I had to take the dogs to get them microchipped and registered with the city of Aiken. It was interesting to see how the dogs reacted to a WHOLE BUNCH of other dogs. They actually did well, except for the guys sticking a large hypodermic needle under their skin on the back of the neck for the microchip. Both dogs had to be muzzled and Cinnamon (our Chow mix) showed teeth to a 13 year old who was helping by scanning the chips once they were implanted. He kept pointing his finger in the other dogs faces if they reacted to his passing a beeping hand-held scanner over their back. Cinnamon took issue with his challenge (as did I) of the pointed finger. I instructed him to back off and not point the finger in her face - I really wanted Cinnamon to teach him but that wouldn't have gone over too well - teeth in his hand and all.

Anyway, Jen is at a Mary Kay make up party tonight - hahahahaha - and I am home taking care of two traumatized dogs.

WH

Back In The 'Windoze' World...aaahhhhhhh

I have started working for a friend who sells real estate here in Aiken. He is the same friend who owned the health club that I managed before I started working in Charleston, SC at the doctors office.

Tom, my friend, is fairly disorganized so he has asked me to help him set up his office and get him computer dependent. He has been out of town at a seminar so I have been doing busy work.

One of the coolest programs that he is using is Top Producer, a very cool and extensive web-based real estate program. There are many benefits to the program and I have been running through DVD tutorials and getting the interface set up.

UNFORTUNATELY he has a Windoze PC that "a friend" has helped him set up. I'll tell you what that means - that means that I have spent the last FIVE fucking hours scanning, removing, updating, and all around fixing his Windows 2000 operating system.

The friend had installed a virus program that had effectively blocked ALL of the Microsoft updates for the past year or so. As you can imagine, the computer has been running VERY SLOWLY and Tom has had to perform a manual shut down and restart every 3 or 4 days - JUST TO GET IT TO RUN NORMALLY.

I have downloaded 6 separate programs to remove malware, spyware, trojan horses, root kit infestations, and other all around boogers. In fact I am creating and posting this blog while all of this scanning, etc takes place. FUN, FUN, FUN!!

I am looking forward to actually getting to work after this necessary silliness is over with.

Windows is starting up *AGAIN* so I have to go.

WH

From The Easter Weekend

The following are pictures from the past weekend. As mentioned in the previous post Jen, Jessie, and I went to visit two colleges in Georgia: Emory and UGA. Jessie loved both of the presentations and these two are her top choices. Now comes the work of applying, financial aid information, testing, planning and all of the factors involved in picking and attending a college. This next year should be the best year in Jessie's life - as it should be for any senior! No worries but classes, friends, and whatever else you want to do.

This is a picture from the campus of Emory. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed ourselves a great deal.


Jessie At Emory

This next picture is of Jason and Candace in Hopeland Gardens. Jessie was the photographer and I have to say that she did a great job. This is one of over 70 pictures. Here is a link to the whole set at my .mac site.

They are in love and are talking about plans for marriage. It is a rewarding thing to see how Jason relates to Candace and see how well he treats her. Jason is beyond his years in maturity (as is Jessie) with regard to relationships. I am so proud of my kids.


Jason and Candace

I hope that you had a good weekend with family and friends. Mine was excellent.

WH

Weekend Touring GA Colleges

This weekend we are off to visit colleges with my daughter Jessie. She is a rising senior and in the process of discovering where her next educational foray will occur.

This afternoon we are scheduled at UGA in Athens, GA. This will be interesting for me since I lived in Athens back in the early 1980's. The city has changed much in the past 20 years. I will try to find some of my old haunts and homes where I lived.

Tomorrow we are visiting Emory University in Atlanta, GA. This is Jessie's first choice at this point. We are excited to go with her and be part of this process.

Jason and Candace are coming to Aiken this weekend as he has a 96 hour leave. We'll get to see them Saturday evening, Sunday, and Monday before they leave to go back to Jacksonville, NC. Jason is finishing his Squad Leaders Course in the next few weeks. In June he leaves for more training on the west coast. On one hand it's exciting for him that he gets to expand his knowledge, on the other all of the training prepares him for his next tour out of country that starts in September.

Finally, I am teaching again this Sunday - Easter. I'll be touching on the resurrection as it relates to the Kingdom. We should have a good weekend.

Hope that you and yours have a great weekend too.

WH

News Flash! Document Shows No Holocaust Took Place

AP News Release - A major historical foundation has released the results of a decade long study of a document, proven to have been composed in 1949, that calls into question that a holocaust actually occurred. In fact the document sheds light on the possibility that the Third Reich was actually beneficial to the world and existed to better humanity.

What would you think about about such a document?

After reading the Gospel of Judas (translated text found here) this is the feeling that I had. The fact that this is a document that is legitimately from around 130 A.D. does not mean that the contents are accurate. This document gives no credible or reliable information with regard to historical Christianity as seen and written in the eyewitness Gospels. The comparative numbers of texts is just too convincing on the side of The New Testament. Literally tens of thousands of uncials and miniscules of the Gospels compared to this text of The Gospel of Judas.

Remember, just because something is actually old, does not make it true. Or in other words, we don't determine truth by looking at a watch or calendar. Go to the sources. Study history. Don't bite the conspiracy "hook" that is constantly being dangled in front of our faces. Look for truth. It's hard work but rewarding.

I love a good mystery. The Da Vinci Code is a good read. It's just not good history. Last note on this: when the Da Vinci Code movie comes out, remember that it is as close to the truth as Oliver Stone's JFK. Good movie, bad history.

WH

Talk About Fun - Make Your Own Book For Dummies

Here is a link to a sign generator that will enable you to create a "Book For Dummies" for your own specific cause.

Considering my recent surgery my newest book is here:

Pete's "Fixing Your Hernia For Newbies"

Have fun!!

WH

The Gospel Of Judas - Redux

As many of you have heard or even seen last night on the National Geographic Channel, there is a Codex (book) that has been released to the general public that supposedly gives new information on the person of Jesus and His relationship to Judas. The document reveals that Judas was actually the hero of the betrayal of Jesus and his act of betrayal was supported and encouraged by Jesus.

The sad thing is that many Christians will spend more time denouncing this "release" than studying it. Knee jerk reaction isn't the answer to responding to those who are investigating and promoting this document. There is value in looking at the facts and studying the Gospel of Judas. The main value is that we get to see Gnosticism in a reliable ancient document. By reliable I do not mean that the contents are true (or false). By reliable I mean that it a genuine document of antiquity - around First Century.

While I have done some study on this, others have done a much better job of scholarship than I ever could have done.

Here are some links for you to study and be informed rather than be stupid and speak to others about something which you haven't really looked into. The first question that you should ask when real dialogue starts on this issue is, "what have you studied on the issue?" And you should ask the question of yourself first.

National Geographic Web site for Gospel of Judas
Mark Roberts report on the Gospel of Judas
PDF link to the English and Coptic Translation
Mark Daniels blog (Many great links to other studies on The Gospel of Judas)
John Reynolds
Albert Molher
Boston Globe Article

(Basic disclaimer: That fact that the above are posted does not mean that I agree with all the author's of the sites promote. The links are for you to look at the Gospel of Judas and relevant information for your own study and information.)

I believe that as a follower of God I should be able to discuss and share information relevant to my faith in an intelligent and systematic manner. This gospel has gotten the attention of many people who are asking questions about God, Jesus, and Christianity. Who is going to answer those questions?

WH

'laxin At Home

This Saturday finds me at home kicking back and watching some golf that is being played across the river in Augusta. The storms have passed and the 4.5 hour delay is over.

I was up early and took the dogs to get rabies shots in the rain.

Jessie was home this morning and we watched Memoirs of a Geisha. It was a good movie. A bit long but still good.

My "chitlins" are healing up just fine. The incision site is still swelling at night. There is still some discomfort and pain but the progress is going as expected. I see the doctor Tuesday and go back to work on Wednesday. This has been a long break and I am getting some cabin fever.

Tomorrow I am teaching. I have been on a series about the Kingdom of God and all of us have been learning about and experiencing the Kingdom. Many people are understanding and starting to realize that what happens during the week is more significant than making Sunday the DAY that we focus on. Meeting together as a community of faith is critical, and we should be meeting on other days other than Sunday - the Sunday gathering is important, but it shouldn't necessarily be the high point or most "spiritual" day of our lives.

My concern is that there has been a disconnect for many people who are followers of God. There is the danger of a dualism in our lives - Sunday we act one way and the other days another. There is a type of "incongruence" between actions and attitudes on those "church" days and the others. One of the refreshing things about our church is that people are not afraid to say, "man, I'm hung over from last night." There is no fear of judgement or ridicule. That's the way it should be.

Our main challenge should be a pursuit of a consistent "presence of mind" concerning God and His kingdom and being alert to an invitation to get involved in what is going on around us that brings others and ourselves into a better understanding and experience of His kingdom.

WH

Squawk Box Trading Game

So, while I'm stuck at home I have started finding other things to do...

Honestly, today is the best day of my recovery so far. My incision doesn't hurt near as bad as in previous days, and the swelling at the surgery site is less and less each day. I walked a mile yesterday and have no ill effects.

Back to the main post: as I mentioned, my In-laws were visiting this past week. They left this morning and should be home any minute now. My father-in-law, Bob, is a pretty savvy financial guy so in the mornings he watches some of the stock market channels. One of his favorite shows is CNBC. Just this week they started a contest on their early a.m. program Squawk Box (6-9a.m.) - it is called the CNBC Squawk Box Fantasy Portfolio Challenge and the Grand Prize is a 2006 Maserati Gransport. Basically you get $1,000,000 fake dollars and the one with the most "virtual" money at the end of the contest period wins the car.

Here's the funny part. I signed up and made an immediate mistake with my first stock purchase. Instead of putting in 7500 shares of AAPL I hit an extra zero.

Two things happened:

1. The other two stocks I wanted to purchase essentially (I got 1 share of one company)went right by, and,
2. Over 16,000 shares of my stock ended up being Apple - all but the one share of TOO.

Well, little did I know that Apple would make an announcement that I mentioned in the previous post, namely, that users would be able to boot Windows XP on their new intel-based Macs.

The freaking stock shot through the roof and earned $99,000.00 in virtual bucks. Can you hear the hum of the Maserati in the driveway? Just kidding. Anyway, it was fun. Especially since I made a stupid mistake that paid off in the contest.

Check back at the end of May to see how I ended out.

WH

Macs Now Do Windows - Who wudda thunk?

This morning Apple Computer announced they are releasing the beta version of Bootcamp, allowing Mac users who have a new Intel powered Mac to boot into EITHER Windows XP or Mac OS 10.4 (known as Tiger).

The next release of operating system, called Leopard (10.5), will reportedly allow the user to have the Mac OS AND Windows XP running at the same time without rebooting.

This provides great appeal to users who are considering a switch from Windows.

The stock immediately jumped over $4.00 per share. Go Apple.

WH

Could Be A Kernal Of Truth Here...

I saw this piece from Bill Maher on a blog from Jon Reid to which I have an RSS feed. If you are "attack sensitive" as a follower if God I would steer away - he gets pretty sarcastic - he is a comedian.

I found that some of what Bill said was thought provoking, especially the part about paranoia. And, remember that Jesus can take care of Himself:)

WH

Update On All Sorts Of Stuff...

The Atom API problem at Blogger has been fixed. Kudos to those folks who worked long and hard to get this one right. Now I can get back to posting with my favorite blog editor ecto.

Apple has updated Tiger to 10.4.6. The fix addresses all sorts of bugs and networking issues as well as adds support for new phones in iSync. My wife's RAZR V3c was seen and added to iSync. That's cool.

Bob and Jody are here and, as always, we have a great time with their visit. There is always stuff to talk about.

The Atlanta Braves opened in LA today with an exciting win - 11-10.

I'm feeling better as I recover from my surgery. I am off from work until April 12. That will give me plenty of time to heal up, get caught up with reading and sleep, and do some brainstorming for the business idea.

We are watching Flight Plan and getting ready for the NCAA Basketball Championship and 24 (Thanks to TIVO we'll be able to see both).

Oh, and all of my plumbing is still working correctly. YEAH!

WH

Happy To Poo!

For those of you who are disgusted with any mention of "poop" this is a good time to STOP reading...

There. I am, however, supremely excited. You see, after a surgery in which they fool around with your guts two oppositional things take place:

1. Your "innards" say, "Shut down, Shut down." They go into "high alert" and cease, for all practical intents, to operate normally.
2. The doctor gives you pain killers that are opiate based. These pain killers are ALL known for one very specific side effect - constipation.

These two occurances collide and one is stuck (literally) in the valley of decision - "Do I take the pain killers and get constipated, OR do I suffer abdominal pain and wait until the "system" gets back on line?" (Not to mention that one has to "push" a bit to poo, which componds the pain problem).

Well, yesterday I took a few doses of Senokot and this morning, volia! Now that's how I spell relief. So now I can eat, take pain pills, and have normal bowel movements. Life just doesn't get any better!!

On a related note, since I have some abdominal swelling I thought that I could find a pair of those maternity jeans that have the "expanding" panel in the front. How weird would that be?

Just kidding. I'll just wait it out until I can fit back into my jeans.

Jen is off to church and her 'rents (Bob and Jody) are on the way up for a visit this week. They should arrive in the late afternoon for a 4 day stay. I'm sure that I'll have more to post later in the day.

Last note - for those to whom it applies, change your clocks. It is officially Daylight Savings Time. Here is a link to the time.gov site for the exact time.

WH

My Blog Atom API Is Busted (and so is yours)

Bad News. For the past months I have been using ecto to post to my Blogger blog. Previous to that I used Mars Edit. Well, it seems that as of 3/31/2006 something has changed here at Blogger so that virtually ALL 3rd party blog posting tools have been rendered useless.

There is a thread here that discusses the issue. Short story - all editors that use the Atom API (which is what Blogger uses) cannot connect with their blog site. Bummer.

So that has me running to Firefox to post blog entries - not as slick or familiar as ecto but it will do in the interim, while the folks at Blogger fix the problem.

WH

Post Surgery - LFD

LONG F******G DAY!

Yesterday I was up at 6ish and got ready to go to the hospital for my hernia surgery - Jen got up later (still pretty early for her). We arrived at 7:45 a.m. and started the pre-op routine. The last time I had an admission to the hospital was back in 1995 for a torn ACL. That's also the last time I had to fill a prescription.

I love the gown - you know open back and all. The fact that they have the rooms at 55 degrees F and have you take all of your clothes off and put on a paper thin, cotton, open-backed gown should give you a clue that this experience is not about your comfort:)

Funny things that happened:
1. The nurse came out and called for "Patel" instead of "Peter" - that got me concerned. After this I double checked that they had me there for a hernia operation NOT open heart surgery or amputation.
2. They had me write "yes" on my right thigh with indelible ink so that they would not cut the wrong side. The "Y" is still there.
3. As I was waiting in the pre-op "cubby" room (a room with three solid sides and the front with draw curtain on it), a family came down the hall and one member walked into my "cubby" and didn't notice that I was not the person they came to see. THAT was embarrassing for them. She realized I wasn't her sister, mumbled something and walked down the hall. Her other two family members just broke out in laughter.
4. On their way out back past me I called out, "didn't you want to stop in any see me on the way out?" - they laughed nervously and sped up
5. The nurse kept talking about giving me "happy juice" - she was all about the "happy juice". In fact, since they were running late I had to ask her to HOLD OFF on the "happy juice" until later. I think she wanted to see if I would say anything stupid while I was "happy"
The operating rooms were backed up a bit and my 9:45 surgery time came and went. I can't tell you exactly what time I actually went to the operating room since the "happy juice" had begun to take effect - I think that it was close to 11 a.m. (Jen will give me the correct time on this once she reads the blog).

I woke in recovery - I use the term "woke" loosely. Faded in is a better term. I was getting all sorts of attention from sweet talking southern nurses when I realized that everyone left me and ran across the room. Later Jen tells me that someone was in for rotator cuff surgery and they had a heart attack DURING the surgery. Those of you who know Jen, know that I was glad that I was out of surgery when she heard about that incident. I hope everything turned out o.k. for that person and his family. We didn't hear anything else.

I can't remember what time I came out of surgery - I will guess it was close to 12 noon. Jen was allowed to come back at around 1:30. My throat hurt from the intubation and I my back was sore. I have a 3 inch incision running north and south on my lower right abdomen (I was going to post a picture but that would be too gross). There are no sutures, no bandages, no dressing. The incision is closed with dermabond, very cool stuff that is basically super glue for incisions and wounds.

The good news was that I didn't throw up (or remember throwing up). Now came the great part - all I had to do was pee and I could go home! I tried and tried, and tried, and tried. NO LUCK. In fact, I tried so much that the people in the recovery area to the left of me were cheering me on and very interested in my progress (Later Jen told me that the husband asked if I had had prostate surgery since he was possibly facing some in the future).

Well, as you can guess, something happens to one's bladder when they play with your "chitlin's". There was swelling of one sort or another and I had the URGE to pee, I just didn't possess the ABILITY to go. I heard the words that strike fear onto the heart of any man - catheter.

The thought of a tube going in where things should only go out, particularly that part of one's anatomy, and the whole process being done by a female nurse brings all sorts of potential problematic issues to the conscious mind. My answer was to shuffle off to the bathroom yet one more time telling Jen that I was locking the door and not coming back until I had gone (or that I may even lie about it - on the heels of that thought, as if she knew my intent, the nurse called out "don't flush, I have to make sure").

Sadly, I was unsuccessful and as I returned to the bed I saw the catheter kit on the table. I won't detail the process and experience but I was relieved - in more ways than the obvious pressure on my bladder - once the procedure was over.

That being finished I was released to go home - it was now close to 5 p.m. One last note from the hospital. In the recovery bay next to mine (not the guy with the prostate concerns, but the one on my right) I heard a young girl crying. I asked the nurse what was going on and she told me that the Mom had had knee surgery and was having a hard time with recovery - vomiting, pain, etc.

I then asked if Jen and I could pray with them. The nurse asked and they said yes. After apologizing to the daughter for my "death breath" we prayed for God's peace to come on the daughter and for the Mom to be comforted. I love that kind of thing. "Let Your Kingdom come, Lord." Great prayer when you don't know what to pray.

We returned home and I rested - my plumbing is still off. I was up every hour last night TRYING to pee and accomplishing little. Things are better this morning and I hope to be back to normal by the end of the day.

I have showered, had a cup of coffee, and a vicodin. Now to REST today. A hard thing for me to do. As you can tell by the length of the entry, I already have way too much time on my hands.

WH

Ready To Be Cut Upon...

Ok. Tomorrow I am scheduled for my surgery to fix my protruding "chitlins". I get up at 6:30 am - that's three hours later than normal - and I'm scheduled for a 7:45 am arrival. That sucks for Jen. But I can't drive myself back from the hospital.

In fact, it's kind of sad that I'm looking at this surgery as a "vacation" from work. I get a week off. In fact, I am not scheduled to return to work until April 11th! That is over a week off. YEAH!

You see things at UPS get REAL crazy around Master's week (remember I work in Augusta, GA - home of Augusta National). I will not be there. I will be resting my sliced, plugged, and sutured abdomen.

Jen's parents will be here for most of the week (the trip was planned before the surgery was set) and that is always fun:)

And, finally, I will get to watch the NCAA basketball championship final - usually I would be going to sleep at that time of night. This evening I'm watching South Carolina play Michigan in the NIT final. I love sports and I REALLY love being able to stay up and watch the games - damn, I sound like a 10 year old.

Anyhoo. I'll post after I get back to a conscious state, with a managed pain threshold:)

WH

Well, The Big News On The Meeting Is...

... the group that was considering the business venture have said, "no".

Shit. No, really. Shit.

So I'm a bit stunned right now - and frustrated - and disappointed - and depressed. For me that should last about two days. Jen's parents are coming up for a visit next week so that will be timely.

We'll bang heads and come up with some ideas. Right now it's just "recoup" time - reflection and evaluation.

WH

5th Anniversary Trip

First, I apologize for not being very "blogful" this past month. It has been a month of reflection and conversation for Jen and I as we wait for word from a group of investors as to if they are going to get involved in building another office here in the Aiken area. Needless to say there is a lot of stress and such in the waiting.

In the meantime we have just returned from our 5th anniversary trip. We had friends (whom I did a wedding for) give us a gift certificate for two nights at the Two Meeting Street Inn in Charleston, SC. It was wonderful! The inn is charming and has lots of history. Being a bed and breakfast, you get to meet people in an entirely different setting than a hotel/motel. Below are a few pictures from the trip.




Outside on the Porch




Garden Patio

The past five years of marriage to Jen have been some of the most wonderful in my life and I am SO thankful for her being in my life. I am such a better man and person because of her. I can only hope that others can experience life to such fulness. Thanks baby, for being my bride.

The weekend had extremes of climate - one day was rainy and cold, the next sunny and mild. One day was both!!

We had great meals at Fleet Landing and Magnolias. Walked up the streets and the Battery. It was fun and relaxing.

If you ever get a chance to get to Charleston, SC and want to stay in a unique and "posh" inn, consider Two Meeting Street.

Here is a link to the rest of the pictures from the trip - Anniversary Pictures

WH

Chitlin's On The Loose

Well, after a few months of seeing a bulge develop on my inner thigh I went to the doctors.

Being "In Network" is a real important thing with my insurance so I have to visit my Primary Care Physician, who has to look at the afflicted area and then refer me to a specialist - a hernia doctor (really a general surgeon).

I had the visit today and my chitlin's are definitely poking out of my gut. My surgery is scheduled for March 31st. The surgeon will stick a "plug" and a patch in the offending area. The plug is kind of like a badminton shuttlecock that is placed in the hole in the abdominal wall and it then opens and stops my guts from pressing out and causing a problem. The patch goes on top of this and then adheres to the muscle of the abdomen.

I should be ready to be ready to resume full activities a few days after the operation.

WH

PS - This past weekend was a watershed experience for me. David Ruis was in Augusta, as well as Don Williams. It was a conference on worship. You can check out more at Kingdomrain.net.

Try The Underwear Oracle

Im know that this is a total waste of time, but it is raining cats and dogs today and we are sitting around the house waiting to go to Mi Rancho for a Saturday night karaoke with the gang!

This was funny -

What Your Underwear Says About You

You like to think of yourself as innocent, even though you're not! You are childlike (or childish), and prone to run around in your underwear.

The Underwear Oracle

Have fun!

WH

Lottery, Schmottery

As many of you have read, seen, or heard, 8 Con-Agra workers cashed in on the biggest lottery pay out to date - $365 Million. Wouldn't you like to have that kind of money?

Think about it.

(Now, a personal disclaimer, I have, and will continue to play the lottery. When it gets big I usually buy $5 worth of tickets and talk about the "what-if's".)

The facts are not totally clear, but there has been some mention that many lottery winners end up broke and bankrupt. Here is a Google discussion that lists some facts, studies, and other links to various studies.

The gist of the issue is that if you are happy, you will be happy after winning the lottery. If you are miserable, you will be miserable after winning the lottery. Facts show that most lottery winners spend one third of their winnings in the first year - traveling, paying off bills, buying things, giving money away, etc. Then they tend to settle into a lifestyle that was similar to before they won the lottery.

The sad truth is that many winners have no idea what a windfall is and how much hassle the winning brings - "business offers", old friends, beggars, cons, temptations, stress, pressure, greed.

I hope that every one of these winners are happy, satisfied, and secure - and that they stay that way.

For me the personal issue is to be content NO MATTER WHAT and then life and the things that come at us will find a grounded and mature person - settled and stable.

WH

Father Daughter Dance

Here are the "girls" getting ready for the big dance - of course we don't want to stink and drive people away so we have to apply DEO to the old pits -


Deo Jen



Deo Jessie

We had a great time. The gala was at The Ritz at Amelia Island. Can you say "SWANKY"? And as always, staying with Bob and Jody is a blast. Even if it is a short and sweet.

WH

Engaged!!

I just talked to my son Jason (the Marine) and he told us that he has asked his girlfriend Candace to marry him on Valentines day! After the initial shock I was pretty excited. They are going to get all of the marriage and pre-marital courses that the Marines have to offer (more than they had a few years ago) and have also asked me to do their counseling.

(Now I know that Jody checks this blog and is going to totally freak out) - Take it easy Jody, they haven't set a date yet.


Jason and Candace

They will be visiting in early March and we will get to see them - we are looking forward to it.

WH

Ramblings...

I have a cold. Scratchy throat. Sniffles. Basic blah. So I drink stuff. I eat stuff. I should feel better by tomorrow - yeah! I don't usually stay sick for long so that is a big benefit.

I love the Olympics. Summer. Winter. It doesn't matter. I love sports and competition. The pure commitment of athletes that train and lay it all on the line for a once every few years event.

The possible business partners that I have been speaking with have set a date for the next, and hopefully final presentation, before we get to business - or should I say, build a business. March 7th is the date. One last push before the meeting and I will be ready. This is a great opportunity for us and our future - more later if all goes well.

This weekend will be fun. Jen, Jessie, and I are going with her Dad to a Father/Daughter Banquet at The Ritz! High living and high partying. I should have some pics posted during the weekend.

WH

The Tax Man Cometh

What fun! This past Thursday, my wonderful wife, in one of her "I'm bored!" moments declared, with sort of a question mark, "LET'S DO TAXES!?"

My simple response, "Hell no." I would rather be a recipient of Chinese Water Torture. Lick a toilet. Watch CSPAN. Anyway, you get the idea.

Guess what? We did taxes.

Now let me give you a bit of background so you don't feel sorry for me. For the past four years I have been a beta tester (shameless plug) for Intuit. I have tested Quicken, Quickbooks, and more recently Turbo-Tax Premium. So I had my complementary copy of Turbo-Tax at the house.

Now I don't totally trust the Turbo-Tax program (the dark side of beta testing) so of course I have to do the paper version of taxes and THEN use the program to see if they agree. Call me anal.

We dove in and we able to complete the Federal and South Carolina taxes with relative ease (about 2.5 hours). Then came the absolute DEVIL of tax returns - Georgia Non-Resident. You see, UPS is in Augusta, GA. I live in SC. The Georgia tax form is an absolute bitch. I worked on the stupid thing, actually ONE PAGE of the stupid thing for ONE solid hour. Not only is it confusing, it is very general and unspecific. Jen came home and I had her look at it too.

I have to admit that I giggled the whole time as she unleashed a tirade of unpublishable expletives. Jen is smart and very capable when it comes to this sort of thing - takes after her Dad. It was an exercise in futility for her.

After a few hours we both said, "That's seems right let's go with it." To check it I reloaded Turbo-Tax on the other computer, loaded my one free state (GA) and checked the result. Amazingly, we came to the same refund amount (Don't get excited for us, it was like $70 bucks) BUT there was an entirely different and additional form that we had missed!

Oh boy! We can't wait until next year. Another great reason to hope that my next business venture stays in SC. My heart goes out to all of you who live in GA and have to negotiate your way through that f*&%ing cesspool of a tax system and the accompanying returns.

I hope all of you have a great time doing your taxes too:)

WH

Why I Respect Bono

Maybe you didn't hear, but Bono, front man for U2, spoke at The National Prayer Breakfast this past week. Here is the video link from CNN. It's 20 minutes long, and I couldn't get the last few minutes to play, but the message is very worthwhile.

If you have the time, watch the video. If not, here is a transcript from USA Today.

Bono refuses to cater to either side of the isle in politics and stays focused on the real issues of poverty and injustice. We could all learn a lesson about the "positions" that we hold and promote.

WH

Winter Comes To Aiken

This afternoon the North Wind blew in. Not as frigid weather - snow and ice. But in the form of a Great Pyrenee dog who showed up at the front door.

The first clue was the residing dogs ramping up and raising hell. I opened the door and THERE HE WAS. This dog was about 150-75 pounds. BIG AS LIFE.

Here is his picture -


Big White Dog

The funny thing is that he is very much like Glacier, my sisters dog in Phoenix, AZ. What do you think Jan?

I called the area vets and they were looking in their databases for nearby owners of GP's. We are yet to find the owner. I will try and keep you posted with the result.

WH

Kind Of Creepy

I have had a sort of respite from blogging of late. After talking with Jen last night about a few things I realized that I have been hesitant since we BOTH found out that her ex has been TROLLING both of our sites.

I know that blogging is a public forum and if you don't want someone reading about what is going on don't put it on the web. You may get "Dooced."

It was just that the whole notion was creepy. So. Decision time.

Do I stop blogging? Do I sanitize and write with the prior fact in view?

Short answer: NO.

I can't give anyone that much power in my life.

I'm way too free, and happy, and peaceful, and secure, and full of life. As is my wife.

So on I blog.

WH

I Don't Usually Post Jokes, But...

I am generally offended by Blond Jokes but after reading this one I laughed. And laughed. And laughed. Even my wife thought that it was funny and she is a blond.

WH

Drool Worthy

MacWorld 2006 is officially "on"

As always, Steve Jobs opens with a keynote. Details can be found here

The best announcements, IMHO, are the new intel dual-core machines - an iMac and MacBook Pro. Very cool and they have some neat features. The MacBook has a magnetic power adapter that comes off if undue pressure is placed on the cord. Great addition to road warriors.

My next mac is still months away but I will be watching these models with great interest to see how they are received. Obviously they are FAST and have Rosetta, which will allow all old Mac applications to run on the new machines.

WH

Another Embarrassing Week As A Christ Follower

I'm tired this week. Not from work. Not from packing up all of the Christmas decorations. Not from a big meeting with potential investors and business partners.

From STUPID CHURCH PEOPLE (No disrespect meant to one of my favorite blogs).


Two biggies:

1. Pat Robertson - for his suggestion on Thursday, January 5, 2006, that Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine punishment for "dividing God's land," and giving away Gaza to the Palestinians. Holy shit Pat! This guy just can't keep his freaking mouth shut and there are people just WAITING for him to open it and say stupid shit. The last real biggie from Pat called for the assassination of the leader of Venezuela.

2. The Book of Daniel - Here is a news story from the Reuters wire - The Book of Daniel. Now, I'm not saying that we should watch things that we disagree with. Especially things that attack our values or belief systems. BUT my beef is that the people who are against this are typically folks who: a) Have never seen the show and just hear about it from friends., or b) Self-proclaimed zealots who believe that protecting God is their lot in life.

IF I was a person interested in following Christ these displays of "zeal" and foolishness would cause me to question whether or not I wanted to be part of this belief system. Now, the truth is that MOST people who profess to follow Christ are sensible and mature enough to make RATIONAL and correct decisions regarding life and choices that reflect the Kingdom of God. It's just the WACKO"S that get the press.

TRUE STORY - I have a friend who told another friend that she was going to watch "The Book of Daniel" the other night. Her friend emailed her and, after three long paragraphs of judgmental shit, said that she would still be her friend, even if she watched the show.

Some thoughts:
My guess, through conversations and experiences, is that the same folks that are in an uproar over "The Book of Daniel" watch "Desperate Housewives", "Scrubs", various soap's and other shows that are as "heinous" or questionable in content. I mean, be consistent. Most people are REACTING to pulpiteers who are all whipped up by large organizations spending money on "sanitizing" life.

I also don't think that Jesus needs defending. He can take care of himself. I would be more concerned about whether or not I was doing WHAT HE ASKED ME TO DO as a Christ follower than making sure everyone knew how offended I was at the new TV show.

I mean, in the BIG PICTURE what difference will it make if you "stood against" The Book of Daniel TV show? Do we really believe that God will say "well done" over issues like this? COME ON FOLKS!?! Get a fucking clue about what is important. Love your neighbor and God (by the way, in the parable that Jesus uses to tell an inquirer about loving a "neighbor," you can just substitute those who consider "ungodly" and/or "un-clean" - maybe even those who WATCH The Book of Daniel" or [shudder] the ones [evil bastards that they are] who PRODUCED THE SHOW).

Last thought. What if, in God's mercy, He is making sure that we are actually in a society that is not a "Christian" nation in order to allow those who are really the Faithful, to really live in a way that will cause people to ask questions that will bring them closer to making a choice to become followers of God?

That would be fair. Especially since people in the USA have been praying for years that we would be a "New Testament" church. Maybe God is surrounding us with a "New Testament" culture.

At least it gives us something to think about...

WH

On To The Next Step

The meeting today went well and I am guardedly optimistic. I passed the initial round of meeting with two of the eight partners and will meet with the rest of the group early next month.

If this goes well I will be a busy beaver for the next 6 months and then regularly busy after that. Hopefully THIS will be the last major job change for me before I can retire and spend more time at home and with Jen.

This year may prove to be a BIG ONE for change and transition for us. I look forward to seeing how this unfolds.

I have two dear friends involved in Christian ministry that I would love to help in a more substantial way. This business endeavor would enable that to happen.

I am excited and looking forward to the next few weeks of preparation for this meeting.

WH

Big Meeting Tomorrow

Tomorrow I have a meeting with potential "suitors" for a business plan that has the potential to change the landscape in which you and I live. If it goes favorably for me It will be, without question, the most ambitious business venture that I have ever undertaken.

It can also change things for many, many people. I will write more after the meeting - the first of two critical meetings. The second meeting will take place later in the month if the one tomorrow goes well.

If you pray, pray that I will be able to communicate well and convey the concepts for the model accurately. The meeting is at 10 am EST.

Ultimately, it will mean more time with my wife after the initial investment of time and effort. Precious years from which we would like to squeeze every drop.

Hopefully, I will pee my pants with excitement and write more detail tomorrow evening.

WH

Happy New Year/Birthday! Show Me Some Ass, Baby!

Happy New Year!

Now, those of you who know my wife will NOT be surprised.

It seems that she likes to show a little ass now and then. Unfortunately, for most of us it means something different than what Jen thinks. Below is a snapshot of Jen "tooting" her New Year's noise maker with her BUM. My only relief was that she still had her pants up so she couldn't get too much wind out of her butt without a good "connection."


Jen Showing Her Ass

We had a great New Years celebration and a number of friends came over for a Murder Mystery party. Thanks to all of you for making it a great evening. One of the stipulations was that we invited the "older folk." This means, among other things, that RIGHT AFTER midnight and the noise makers, kisses, sipping champagne, and such, WE GO TO BED AND CRASH. Sleeping in the New Year.

Below is a "after the party" picture just before I grabbed four corners of the plastic table cloth and jammed it into the trash can.


Happy New Year

Along with welcoming in the New Year, we have a Happy Birthday party. Jen was born January 1!!

Happy Birthday baby! Thank you for being the most wonderful woman in the world. I look forward to many more birthdays together. I love you.

We plan on going to church this morning, going out to eat with friends, coming home and watching football. Then tomorrow is the real BIG college football bowl games.

I start back at UPS Tuesday (I have off tomorrow) at 4:15 AM so I will miss the GA vs. WVU game that evening - BUT I HAVE TIVO!!

Hope your New Year is a good one.

WH

A Little "Scroogy" With The Christmas Decorations

I love Christmas. I love the family time. The smells. The emphasis on the birth of Christ. The giving.

I HATE PUTTING AWAY TREE DECORATIONS - IN FACT I HATE PUTTING AWAY ALL CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS.

I have decided that HELL for me would be setting up and taking down the Christmas Decorations at The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. I would rather have bamboo shoots driven under my fingernails. No, really.

We took down the tree yesterday, at my insistence - since Jen would keep it up until Easter if she could. We are having some friends over for a Murder Mystery Party tonight and needed the space in the living room. At least that was the absolute best excuse that I could come up with. She bit, I mean agreed, to take it down.

Without going into a lot of detail you instinctively know the horticulture of the Christmas tree - you cut it off at ground level and it starts dying at that minute. They truck it in from whatever place in North Carolina they cut it from and set it up in a lot for you to look at and "oh and ah" during the selection process. You bring it in the house, hang all sorts of things all over it, and, as it dies over the next weeks, it throws needles everywhere.

The best part is that you wrap lights strung together, that are 150 feet in total length, around the tree so that when you unwrap the lights more of the little dry needles get flung all over the house. Same thing goes for ornaments and such. Easy on. Messy off.

OK. I admit that I'm a little OCD. I like things neat and orderly and hate messiness. BUT THIS IS TOO MUCH. I have seriously considered getting a "fake" tree. Notice I said "I". Jen will have nothing of it. "Fake trees are for OLD PEOPLE." she says.

(Side note - her parents got a fake tree ordered and delivered this year for next years Christmas)

The logic in "Jen's World" goes like this;
A = Fake trees are for old people (like my parents).
B = Pete wants a fake tree.
C= I (Jen) can't be married to an old person. That would be creepy.
D = Pete can't have a fake tree.
E through Z = NO FAKE TREE.

I'm screwed.

Back to the point - sort of. I have a ritual for getting the offending, needle throwing tree out of the house with as little damage and mess as possible. Feel free to use this process if you want. I place a tarp next to the tree, after the decorations are off (and more needles are now all over the floor).

• Get your garden pruning shears - I use hand shears and the longer "branch loppers"
• Cut the branches off one by one and lay them on the tarp.
• Once the tarp is full gather the corners and take the tarp outside and dump accordingly.
• Repeat as needed.

Now you have a bare thick "stick" tree truck to take out instead of a "needle flinging" disaster. Easy! At least easier than trying to drag the stupid tree out of the house and getting a trail of needles everywhere.

All griping and whining aside. We packed all the decorations and I have put all but one storage tub back in the attic (since we always find an overlooked decoration in the house AFTER I put everything up in the attic - one year, it was March before we found the last ornament - sad.)

The really fun part is that next year we get to do it all over again - oh boy!!

My only chance out of this "cycle of torture" is that Jen's parents decide that the FAKE tree that they bought is too heavy (it took two FedEx workers to carry it to the front door - 56 pounds worth) and too much trouble to fluff and set up. Then they may give it to us. I'm already planning, and praying.

Oh yeah, don't tell Jen.

WH

My Electric Shaver

OK. I recant. I hated electric shavers.

The truth is that the reason that I hated electric shavers was based on an experience from my adolescent years. Somebody, I can't remember who, bought me a "triple header" electric razor of some sort for Christmas.

I used it and it created such ingrown hair problems on my teenage face that I packed it up and never used it again. So I banned all use of electric razors and told everybody else that electric razors were useless. Years passed and I solved the problem by growing a beard and only shaving around the edges:)

The only break that I took was during Bible College. They didn't allow facial hair beyond mustache's (or jeans in classes). Other than that I had a beard.

That was until UPS came along when I got hired in November. One of the requirements of management for UPS is that there is no facial hair. GREAT. I had to shave every other day (the bare minimum for me). My poor face was chapped and raw. I cut myself. I bleed. I hate shaving. So, I researched and read. I went to www.epinions.com. I went to Amazon.com. I decided on an electric razor and asked SANTA CLAUS to bring me one - OK. It's really my In-laws.

They bought me a Braun. I recant! The freaking thing shaves ALMOST as close as a blade razor. The best thing is that it cleans itself and then sits ready for me to use:)

I have only used the thing for a week but am looking forward to MANY shaves without cuts and rash.

WH

Jason and Candace

Over the holidays, Jason came back to Aiken with his girlfriend Candace.

This was the FIRST girl that Jason called home and said, "I have a girlfriend." This is HUGE! He never even so much as made a direct mention of another girl since early high school - and that was a passing reference.

Anyway, she is a neat person and I see what Jason sees in her. She is fun to be around and I am happy for him.


Jason and Candace

The whole break was outstanding and going back to work this past Tuesday was such a relief from the hectic and crazy days before Christmas. We had 8 tractor trailer loads instead of 19+. The facility manager said that our peak day had over 21,000 packages - more than the facility has ever seen in one day.

Total change of subject - I started using an electric shaver this week - a new Christmas gift from my in-laws (Thanks Bob and Jody). Very cool. I may say more later.

Ramping up for the New Year and my wife's birthday - January 1st! How fun is that? There is always a party on your birthday.

WH

Unique Christmas Traditions at the Sonnati's

Strange but true! One of the traditions in the Sonnati household is to give Jen a box of Tampons! What a Christmas tradition.

Here is a picture of the "opening of the Tampons":


Traditional Christmas Tampons

We are on the way home from Florida shortly and we'll open presents with each other and the kids.

I will see you later in the weekend.

WH

"I Was Only Trying To Change Lanes"

So. I get home from work and take the car out to get it gassed up and ready for the Florida trip.

I thought that I would run to the store and check on a present for Jen.

The busiest road near us is called, I kid you not, Whiskey Rd. Four lanes of pure hell this time of year. Inch by painful inch. And, as usual, there are the people who want to make a RIGHT turn 300 yards up the road, but for some reason feel that the best way to get there is to get in the left lane until one is 50 yards away from the turn and THEN get into the right lane - thus saving, I don't know 10 feet of road or maybe 6 seconds of travel time.

My word to those who care and drive like this - DON'T FUCKING DO IT! If you have any questions as to "why not?", just take a look at the picture below.


Boom said the car

My tail end is crushed. The State Trooper that worked this accident (Or "wreck" if you live in the South), was actually working another "wreck" right next to where I was hit. He actually ran out of accident reports and had to wait for his supervisor to bring him some.

The trunk closes, which is nice since we had to go to Florida and visit Jen's parents - putting things in the trunk is important on a trip.

So I have insurance adjusters to look forward to, and body shops and settlements, and all sorts of fun shit.

Don't be jealous:)

WH

The Peak Season Is Over for Brown

Well, it's over! We officially ended "peak season" at UPS yesterday. 12 loads contrasted to 19 on Thursday and 21 on Wednesday.

I get Monday off and don't have to go in until 5 AM - that means up at 4 AM instead of 2:30 AM. That is reason for CELEBRATION!

We are in Florida for a QUICK two days. Back to Aiken on Christmas Day.

Family time today and yesterday.

WH

Can You Believe It?

On the "WWJT" about the Christmas Day dilemma (see post from a few days ago). I drove past a church this morning and the sign out front said,

"Open For Business Christmas Day."

Cute. I didn't realize that the church was a "business". Maybe that was a slip. Maybe "cute". Either way, I wouldn't be drawn to that church Christmas Day.

Enough of that.

Work at UPS was less busy this morning. We handled 20,000 pieces yesterday - that is, unloaded from tractor trailer's and place in the back of the brown UPS trucks that you see come to your home. All in 4 and 1/2 hours. Today was 19,000. Due to the easing of the loads I get an extra 15 minutes of sleep tomorrow morning - to work at 3:35 AM instead of 3:30. Believe me, at that time of day, 15 minutes is great.

Tomorrow will be another 1,00o less. Next week will be back to about 13,000. Yeah! I am looking forward to starting the computer part of the job that I was hired for.

Jason, my Marine son, and his new girlfriend, Candice, are coming to see the family today. They will be here until December 27th. I will post pictures and some anecdotes from the weekend later.

Jen and I are driving down to Amelia Island, FL to see her parents over the weekend. Back here Christmas Day for fun and presents with the kids.

THEN I HAVE OFF MONDAY!! YIPPEE!

Christmas is one of my favorite times of year - family and relaxation. I hope that you enjoy your families this season.

WH

My Friend Has Cancer

This past week one of my friends discovered that he has Hodgkin's Lymphoma. That sucks. That sucks really bad.

I hate that people are sick and get cancer. But, I have to admit that I don't think about other people and the struggles they have. It only comes home to me when it is close. I really hate when my friends suffer sickness.

He started chemo yesterday and has at least six months of treatment. Prognosis is good. His spirit's are good. His general health is good.

Pray for his strength. Pray for his spirit. Pray for his faith. His name is Dan.

Fight Dan, fight. I will carry you when you need it. I love you.

WH

WWJT (What Would Jesus Think) - The "we are so petty" Department

Ok. I'm officially lodging a complaint about the entire "Christmas Church Service" debate. If you have been aware of the latest "evangelical news story" you know that there has been great concern about the fact that Christmas falls on a Sunday this year.

It seems that some churches have decided to take the day "off" and let their families stay home and celebrate Christmas or (gasp), attend another church that has morning services.

One example of the debate is in Toledo, OH. Another is Fredericksburg, MD. In fact, much of the media has been aimed at the Mega-churches.

This really isn't fair since the majority of "closed" churches on Christmas Day will be the smaller churches - I speak from experience. Having pastored, or been on a church staff for more than 15 years, this was an issue that I have faced, thankfully, only a few times - 1983, 1988, and 1994. Knowing what to do when you have 10 families and 8 have small children can be a valid issue. I won't say how I handled it. I will say that this is the first Christmas on Sunday that has EVER made "news". And of all of the previous years I mentioned had some churches that closed for Christmas on that day.

Which "side" you choose isn't really the point. Both "sides" have legitimate perspective.

The real point is, "why are followers of Christ even having the discussion, and do they realize the impact on those who watch, namely folks who aren't following Christ?"

I mean, I don't really want to piss on the parade that you have decided to march in, but take a minute and think this through:

1. It makes followers of Christ LOOK LIKE they are aligned like political parties - the "anti's" and "for's" - we have descended into little arguments that make "us" fell better rather than promote Jesus Christ.
2. What effect does this have on people who are "looking in" at the silliness of the "sides"?
3. The "church" gets news coverage for their differences NOT their common love. What a sad thing.
4. Did the early church EVER celebrate the birth of Christ? I mean the church in the first 100 years after Christ? No real evidence exists. The "institutional" church started this celebration. Now, I have no problem with the celebration of Christ's birth, and I even participate in church services celebrations, as well as personal celebration, but should we FIGHT over it? Is it essential to the faith?
5. The church, for the most part, in the Western world, has failed in the primary mission of being light and salt to the world. This gives us more time to debate issues of little importance and allow discipleship to be the "Great Omission".
6. I really wonder what the Lord thinks of the debate? Does He even care if we celebrate His birthday?
7. Self-righteousness NEVER accomplishes productive results.
8. Motivating by guilt NEVER accomplishes productive results.
9. If you "miss" church for ANY reason and are part of the "debate", make sure that you do not have "rocks" in your hands. I know people (I am one of them) who has "skipped" church to travel, to spend time with family, to sleep in, to watch TV, because I am tired, and various other reasons. Do I take solace that at least the CHURCH WAS OPEN even though I decided to stay away? What is the difference? How can I justify myself if I am "taking a side" in this latest "discussion"?

I mean, shit people, let's just enjoy each other, celebrate Christ's birth if you are so inclined, and have a positive experience this year. Why would you allow this to cause a "dis-taste" for you?

One last thought - If you believe in a God and a devil. How do you think that the devil would ruin your celebration and cause division in the church? Cancel services OR exaggerate a "non-issue"?

I'm just saying to think about it.

"..love one another.." 1 Jn. 4:11

WH

OK, Now I'm Spoiled

My last post was about the gadget that my brother-in-law gave me while we were there this past Thanksgiving - a HP iPaq 6315.

WELL that ain't NOTHING! When I spoke to my sister last week she said to look for a "surprise" coming in via UPS (of course). I ventured a guess to Jen and said, "I bet it's a freaking TIVO." They have TIVO and it is amazing. You can miss something on the news and just rewind and replay it. You can record shows that can be searched by actor, content, program, etc. The COOLEST fucking thing is that you can HOME NETWORK the thing so that you can set up your recording schedule via broadband as well as download shows and put them on your iPod!

There is more. You have to go to the TIVO web site and see what's up - I'm stunned...

Yesterday, we got home from our monthly SAMS Club trip, and movie venture (We saw Chronicles of Narnia and I loved it. Very true to the book.) and there was a package outside the front door. I heard Jen grunt as she tumbled the box in through the front door.

We opened it and it was...

TIVO!!!!

SO here I sit in the living room, setting up the box to work with our home stereo system and network. It will probably take the entire afternoon BUT it will be very cool once done. Another gadget. YEAH!

Now I must learn to master the thing because my father-in-law will want one (right Jody?) and I will be the tech support for the basic use.

Oh! It just finished downloading and installing the stuff for our local cable TV. Gotta go!!

WH

After A Few Days With A New Gadget

While we were in Phoenix for Thanksgiving, my brother-in-law who is a "gadget whore" like myself, presented me with a gadget that he didn't use anymore:

An HP iPaq 6315 Pocket PC

The thing rocks! I can now, after some work with various programs, sync this Windows device with my iBook and keep track of all of my contacts, calendar, and tasks. I can also load music form iTunes and photos from iPhoto. And that just starts the COOL.

It can be used as a phone (I have no sim card and do not want one for the thing). The best part, for me, is that I can use it for e-mail and internet surfing. It has wireless and bluetooth capabilities. I can also sync my iBook and the handheld wirelessly.

It's also a camera:) It's just crazy. Now I have a new "toy" and something to play with and keep track of my data on.

I will be using it more in the future when I need to keep track of lots of information while the new office is being built.

Thank you Henry!

WH

I'm Totally Out Of Sync

Sorry for my irregular blogging lately. This new work schedule has me totally out of sync.

I go to bed at 8 PM.

I get up at 3 AM.

I get home at 10 AM.

I eat dinner at 5 - 5:30 PM.

I feel weird. My wife says that I am being weird. I let little details of the day slip by.

All totally unlike me. So I have let blogging slip too. I can't believe that I haven't posted since 11/25. I apologize for those who check in and see what's up and see the same OLD POST.

Here is what's going on:

I am getting more and more stuff to do at UPS and this is peak time. If you can hang in the shipping business during this time of year you can hang. I'm looking forward to getting back to the task that I was hired for.

I have some doctor's interested in the proposal of starting a "state of the art" office here in the area. If that works out it will be a lot of work for the next few years but will eventually be a profitable and rewarding venture. Hopefully, in five years Jen and I will be able to have more time to travel and play.

Our tree is up and we are planning Christmas travel. This is such a great time of year and I am excited about family and spending time together.

I'm teaching this Sunday on one of my favorite books in Scripture - The Song of Songs. The passion of Christ and our love relationship with God and his desire for us - I can't wait.

Thanks for stopping in...

WH